Industry-Funding Analysis of the Week: the Meat Funding Effect - Food Politics by Marion Nestle

The majority of independent research indicates a cardiac risk associated with red meat consumption, but the result is different if researchers are related to this sector.

Industry-funding analysis of the week: the meat funding effect - Food Politics by Marion Nestle

This is an example of what the late and much missed Sheldon Krimsky called “the funding effect,” the strong tendency for industry-funded studies to produce results favorable to the commercial interests of the sponsor. The study: Industry study sponsorship and conflicts of interest on the effect of unprocessed red meat on cardiovascular disease risk: a systematic review of clinical trials. Miguel López-Moreno, Ujué Fresán, Carlos Marchena-Girálde…

We suspected it, but here's the doubt dispelled: research on the health effects of red meat is clouded by conflicts of interest. According to an analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, while independent studies overwhelmingly indicate a heart risk associated with red meat consumption, the results are different if the researchers are affiliated with the industry. More specifically, the authors of the meta-analysis classi…